These pages cover transposition, the cycle of fifth's, modes, diatonic scale matrix, intervals, major seventh and seventh chords, accidentals, and enharmonic change - music theory. They are intended for guitarists.

Music notation is a language which replicates in writing, musical sounds, either played on an instrument or imagined.

In order for everyone to be in tune and understand each other or play 'off the same sheet', conventions are often followed.

Various scales (or ladders) of notes and modes of playing have developed over time.

There are unlimited possibilities and
ways to interpret music, an understanding can be gained by knowing how diatonic and
chromatic scales can be applied in music.

Diatonic (dia comes from the Greek "through") means through the tones, or degrees of a scale.

The scale consists of seven
notes chosen from twelve in an alphabetical order,

the eighth a repetition of the first one octave higher.

So in the key of C the notes are C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C.

Chromatic scales contain all of the twelve notes of the given scale.

So in the notes are C,C#,D,D#,E,F,F#,G,G#,A,A#,B,C C,

Alternatively we could write them as flats D,Db,Eb,E,F,Gb,G,Ab,A,Bb,B,C which are exactly the same notes.

Minor keys are directly related to the major keys and can be further embellished by harmonic minor,melodic minor and other
variations.

C comprises the same notes as the Am scale although in a different order. Aminor is the relative minor of Cmajor.

Scale patterns can be transposed up, down and across the fretboard.

Some scale patterns which apply for a C scale can apply for Db, D, Eb, E and so on.

Understanding key structures allows a musician to define the notes and/or keys that are relevant to a sequence of chords.

This gives a fundamental basis for playing a melody to a set of given chords.